Nine players set to miss Man Utd vs Ipswich as £70m Baleba ruled out on arrival

Manchester United will be without five players for Saturday’s Premier League fixture against Ipswich Town at Old Trafford, with new £70 million signing Carlos Baleba joining a growing injury list before he has even kicked a ball for the club. Ipswich arrive with four absentees of their own, despite the momentum of an opening-day win over Sunderland.

Baleba, signed from Brighton and Hove Albion, was confirmed unavailable by manager Michael Carrick, who said: “He’s got a little ankle issue, so maybe a couple of weeks or so, three weeks. We knew that before. It’s no major issue. It’ll be great to have him back.”

Amad Diallo will also play no part after picking up a minor training injury that kept him out of the 2-0 defeat to Hull City. Carrick was brief on the Ivorian’s timeline: “Amad won’t be involved, he’ll be out for a little bit longer.”

Mason Mount remains sidelined, though Carrick offered cautious optimism: “Mase is back around the group, he trained this week, so a real positive.” Matthijs de Ligt continues his long-term rehabilitation but is edging closer to a return, with Carrick noting the Dutchman is “training and in good shape and moving in a good direction.” Backup goalkeeper Tom Heaton rounds out United’s absentees after sustaining an injury in pre-season against PSG, with no return date yet given.

United head into the game under pressure after their chastening opening-day loss to Hull, who had been widely tipped for relegation before the fixture. Carrick’s side will need to find their footing quickly, with Ipswich — written off as heavy underdogs before beating Sunderland — arriving with genuine confidence.

Gary O’Neil’s side are without four players of their own. Jaden Philogene is sidelined with an ankle problem that kept him out of the Sunderland win, while Florentino Luis is ruled out with a calf injury. Azor Matusiwa misses out again with a thigh complaint, and Jack Taylor remains on the treatment table with a knee injury.